The
combined bachelor’s + master’s degree program allows students to complete 12 graduate credit hours while still enrolled in their undergraduate program. These graduate credit hours will count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Undergraduate students from any major across DePaul University can apply to the Communication and Media combined degree program.
Admission Criteria
Admission criteria for the combined degree program in Communication and Media:
- 3.5 GPA in major courses
- 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Junior status
- Completion of two 300-level communication courses
Students who meet the above criteria must submit the following to the Office of Graduate Admission no later than six weeks prior to the start of their senior year (i.e., prior to the start of their final three undergraduate quarters):
-
Graduate Application (you will select combined degree program during the application process)
-
Official DePaul undergraduate transcript
-
Four essay questions in three to four double-spaced pages (Essay questions should be saved as .doc or .pdf and uploaded into
online application or e-mailed to
gradcom@depaul.edu):
- What factors contribute to your decision to enter graduate school now?
- How do studies in communication and media relate to your personal and professional goals?
- In your response, identify how our Communication & Media program and its specific areas of study suit your specific needs, goals, interests, etc. and how such studies connect with your future objectives. Which courses would you take and why? Which faculty members in our graduate program have research interests related to your own?
- What demonstrates your suitability for graduate study in this program and concentration? What subjects, theories, methods, case studies, etc. do you plan to study, and how will you approach them within our program? Build an argument for your admission.
- What understandings should admission reviewers bring to a reading of your application? (What additional information, contexts or explanations seem important?)
-
Writing sample (research paper that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to synthesize and analyze scholarly work)
-
Two letters of recommendation from professors in the College of Communication or in the major
Submitting Materials
Application materials including the statement of purpose, writing sample, and resume, can be uploaded directly into the online application. Applicants also have the option of submitting the application without these items and emailing them separately to
gradcom@depaul.edu. Students may request recommendations through the online application and track whether they have been submitted.
Transcripts (and letters of recommendation not submitted through the online application) should be mailed to:
Office of Graduate Admission
College of Communication
DePaul University
2400 N. Sheffield Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614-2215
Application credentials (including official electronic transcripts) also can be emailed to the Office of Graduate Admission at
gradcom@depaul.edu. Please make sure your name is on all documents.
Program Standards
- The three
Communication and Media graduate courses taken as a senior cannot be used to fulfill core major requirements. They can be used to fill communication electives (for communication majors) and/or open electives. Students are strongly encouraged to take CMNS500 and two other program requirements their senior year.
- Students admitted to the program must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in the three graduate courses taken as a senior.
- If a student fails to meet this GPA requirement, they will not be allowed to continue as a graduate student in the program.
- Students can defer their graduate admission for one year. If students do not matriculate after completing their undergraduate degree or within one year deferral period, the graduate courses taken as undergraduate students will no longer count towards the graduate degree and students must reapply for admission to the graduate program.
Visit the
Communication and Media MA section for more information about the graduate program.